Grace
by Miss Baby
Summary: An Absolution futuretake written for the Fandom4Tsunami compilation. Follow Edward and Bella as they start their new life in San Francisco.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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_**This one will be very short with most chapters ending somewhere between 1 and 2k. It has already been completely written and beta'ed and some of you may have read it already as part of the Fandom4Tsunami compilation. I might add a few bits and pieces here and there along the way, though. **_

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_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty. Thank you!**_

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**Grace **

_An Absolution outtake._

_By Miss Baby_

~ Part one ~

"Where do you want these boxes?" Charlie's gruff voice called out from behind a stack of moving boxes, the muscles in his arms straining as he swayed into the kitchen.

Bella rolled her eyes, "what does it say on the box, dad?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Charlie complained. "I can't lift and read at the same time!"

"Just drop them over there, in the living room," I offered, fearing Charlie's arms were going to give out if he had to lift that shit any longer. "We'll have a look at them later on."

"Good man!" Charlie grumbled, breathing a sigh of relief when he finally put the boxes down next to the coffee table, his usual gruff demeanor changing into a look of triumph as he studied the labels. "Well what do ya know? They were supposed to go here anyway."

Bella sighed, shaking her head as we watched Charlie walk back out the front door, almost barging headlong into a pair of movers bringing in the sofa. "Why did we allow him to help again?" she groaned.

"Because his little girl is moving to the other end of the country to live in sin with her big bad boyfriend," I shrugged. "He wants to do what he can to stay involved in your life."

I could see why Charlie wanted to be involved in this move. It wasn't going to be easy for him to part with his kid – the one he'd only gotten to really know over the last couple of years – so shortly after he'd almost seen her killed. If it had been me, I wouldn't even have let her go.

Letting him help us out was the least we could do, even if he'd been horribly in the way all day and the movers were getting sick of his constant interfering.

"Psah!" Bella huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest as Charlie stumbled in with a new – though slightly lighter – load. "He could have done so from a distance."

I chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Just let him have his fun, sweetheart. You're going to miss him when he leaves tomorrow."

She sighed, grumbling something under her breath about how I was completely and utterly wrong, even though we both know she was going to miss him terribly once he and Sue made their way back to Washington.

This was a fresh start, for all of us, but that didn't mean it didn't come with certain sacrifices.

The past couple of months had been brutal. Between the final proceedings in the Volturi trial, my dad going into and coming back from his stint in prison and Bella graduating from college, we were all completely wiped out and eagerly awaiting our return to normalcy.

It had taken a toll on all of us; most of all on Bella seeing as she not only had to relive what had happened to her at the hands of Aro and his cronies but also had her family history dragged into the limelight when Renee took the strand to testify against the Volturi leaders.

When Esme announced, shortly afterwards, that the Mary Hart Foundation, which had offered her a job when no other charity in town had wanted to taint their name by having it associated with the Volturi, had offered her a promotion that would force her to move states to sunny California, we'd all jumped at the chance to escape the city that had been tainted forever.

"It's funny how it only takes a little over an hour for people to offload your entire life," Bella mused as we stood on our front lawn and watched the moving truck drive away.

I chuckled, turning towards her. "Does this mean that we don't have that much baggage after all?"

She giggled along with me, her eyes shining radiantly in the afternoon sun. "I wish!"

I sighed happily, kissing her lips chastely before pulling back. "I love you, did I tell you that today?"

"Only about a dozen times!" She made a show of rolling her eyes at my corniness, though I could see by the color of her cheeks and the hint of a smile on her lips that she loved every single time I spoke the words. "I love you too, by the way."

"You'd better!" I huffed. "You know as well as I do that a catch like me is hard to come by!"

She shook her head, something she appeared to be doing an awful lot of that day, as she nudged me in the ribs. "Arrogant ass!"

I brushed the tip of my nose against hers before pressing my lips to it. "Let's get inside before your dad decides to remodel our entire home…..or before I lose my cool and take you right here on the front lawn."

She blushed a fierce scarlet, a flash of satisfaction coursing through my body as I noticed her sway on her feet for a couple of seconds before she found her footing again. "N-no," she stammered. "We wouldn't want that. What on earth would the neighbors say?"

"Later," I promised her, protectively wrapping my arm around her small body as we walked back up to the house. "I hope you got a good night's sleep last night, sweetheart, because as soon as our parents have left tonight, I intend to christen this house good and proper."

I leaned in, my confidence raising another few points as Bella shivered against me while I whispered into her ear. "And I do mean _every_ room of the house, angel."

And with that, and another quick kiss, I left her behind dazed, confused and properly flustered.

We spent a few hours unpacking boxes and turning the house into a home before Sue and mom arrived with food and a whole lot of other shit we didn't need; my dad having stayed behind at the apartment he and my mom had bought when they moved out here a months ago, right after the trial had ended.

I had to admit it, I was glad he did. Things were still kind of strained between us even though they were better than they had been in over ten years.

Seeing him in a hospital bed, pale as a sheet and fighting for his life after he'd taken a bullet to save my girl, had finally made me forgive him, even though we both knew it would be a long time before I would be able to forget the role he'd played in the shit we'd gone through. We were trying to work things out, just like he and mom were trying to do, but we still had a long way to go before we could be in the same room without feeling uncomfortable and on edge again.

"Need help?" I looked up to see Charlie coming out of the house, a beer in each hand, as he joined me on the back porch. "I've been around the block with those things more times than I care to remember."

"Yes, please!" I groaned frustrated, stepping away from the barbecue. "I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to be doing with this shit."

"Didn't do a lot of barbecuing in fancy Woodway, did ya?" Charlie grinned, his hands making light work of getting the fire started.

"Nope," I grinned. "We had our lackeys to do all the menial tasks for us."

He looked back at me, his eyes tightening as he tried to make sure I was kidding before he broke out into a loud guffaw. "I might have been wrong about you, son," he chuckled, slamming me on the back with one hand while offering me one of his beers with the other. "You may not make such a bad son in law after all!"

"Thanks!" I beamed. His high opinion still meant a lot, knowing how close he and Bella had always been even in spite of the fact that they didn't spend that much time together. Over the past weeks, as the Volturi trial had progressed, he and I had been thrown into each other's company quite a lot and, after the rough start we'd had, had come to some kind of understanding between the two of us. He'd never gone out and given me his blessing, though. This…..it was huge.

"I still retain the right to change my mind, though, mind you," he warned me. "San Francisco may not be next-door to Forks but when my little girl is concerned no amount of distance is going to keep me from having it out with ya if you ever hurt her feelings."

I nodded, taking a sip from my beer. "Duly noted but wholly unnecessary. I have no intention of hurting Bella any more than I already have."

He grunted, his eyes tightening again as he gave me the once over. "Then tell me, Edward. When do you suppose you're going to make an honest woman of her?"

The chug I'd just taken from my bottle sprayed all over the pristine new deck as I stared at him in complete shock. "W-what?"

He stared back at me, cool as fuck. "I'm the girl's father, Edward. Do you really think I like her living in sin?"

I shrugged. "I suppose not."

"I may not have been around for part of her childhood but I held that girl as she took her first steps into this world and I promised that I would do my damndest to make sure she was well protected," he grunted, his brown eyes – so like those of Bella's – watching my every move with a hardness that came from years in the police force. "I don't like her moving all the way to California one bit, even though I see why you both need this change in your life, since it makes looking out for her a hell of a lot harder than it would have been, had you two still been living in Seattle. Harder, not impossible."

I nodded. "I can see why it would be hard for you to let go but….."

"Call me old-fashioned but I do prefer to see a ring on my baby girl's finger before she's shacking up with a man," he pressed on. "I'm sure you have every intention of growing old with her but that kind of romantic crap only gets you so far. I want to see proof – signed, sealed and avowed in front of a priest and a civil servant – that you're going to take care of her for as long as you live."

He leaned back against the wall, sipping his beer as he waited for me to respond.

I scratched my head, trying to come up with words that weren't going to get me yelled – or shot – at by father or daughter. "I….erm…..we," I scratched my head, fumbling on my words. _Man this shit was hard!_ "We've never really discussed marriage, Bella and me. We…."

I held up my hands in surrender as Charlie let out a low grunt, obviously displeased with my words. "We've only been together for under a year and I thought we should take our time to get to know each other…..not rush into things, least of all important things like marriage….you know what I mean?"

His eyes narrowed again as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Keep talking."

Good. At least if he wanted me to keep talking, he wasn't about to shoot me.

"It doesn't mean I don't intend to marry Bella one day," I scrambled one, "It's just that right now is….too….soon?" I looked up to gauge his reactions, seeing no change – good or bad - in his demeanor. I wasn't sure whether I liked that or not.

"So you do intend to marry her?' Charlie interrogated.

"Yes, sir," I nodded.

"Just not right away."

"Yes, sir."

"Hmmm," he pondered, obviously having to ruminate on that. "Can you give me a timeframe on that?"

Right. "I don't know,' I shrugged, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. "Maybe a year or so?"

"A year," Charlie repeated. "I guess I can live with that."

"Good." I breathed a sigh of relief. "I promise not to let you down, sir."

"You'd better not," Charlie threatened. "Oh and son?"

"Yeah?"

"If you get her pregnant before you put a ring on her finger, I'm going to kill you."

I swallowed hard, making a mental note to stock up on just about every contraceptive that had ever been invented. "Duly noted, sir."

It wasn't until late that night that our guests finally left, both mom and Sue taking an almost sadistic pleasure into helping Bella and me get settled into our new home and prolonging their stay in our house when they'd so obviously outstayed their welcome.

At least, as far as I was concerned.

Bella didn't seem to think our parents' prolonged stay in our home was as annoying as I held it to be, her cheeks flushed as she animatedly discussed the pros and cons of having curtains instead of blinds.

Yeah.

Seriously.

And what was even more messed up was that I found myself listening in on their conversation and trying to follow their line of reasoning.

I was so fucking whipped.

What the hell had happened to me?

I chuckled, taking a chug from my beer bottle. 'Old Edward' would never have stayed around to listen to that kind of shit. Hell, 'old Edward' wouldn't even be shacking up with a girl in the first place. Old Edward was all about the 'fuck and run' mentality.

Old Edward was dead.

He'd been slowly withering away from the moment Bella had staggered back into my life but it hadn't been until I had been lying on a cold marble floor, bleeding from a wound that could have killed me that he had really kicked the bucket.

The funny thing was, I didn't miss him at all.

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_**Aww. Edward has come such a long way, hasn't he?**_

_**Please let me know what you think about this one. **_

_**Have a lovely weekend everyone!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty. Thank you!**_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part two ~

"I think it's about time we head back to the city." Mom's voice made me look up, just in time to see her wink at me.

_Fucking hell? Was mom trying to help me get laid or what? _

I grinned back, trying not to look too eager. "It _is_ getting pretty late."

"I guess time flies when you're having fun," Sue chimed in, her knowing grin telling me she was in on this as well.

In fact, the only one who seemed to be oblivious – and thank God for that – was Charlie who had wandered a bit further into the backyard to study the greenery as soon as the conversation had steered towards fabric. "You're probably right," he said, rejoining us on the back porch. "We've got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow."

"But you're swinging by for breakfast first, right?" Bella insisted. "You promised, dad."

"Alright, alright," Charlie chuckled. "We'll drop by for breakfast as long as you make it an early breakfast."

Bella rolled her eyes at him, linking her arm through his as they walked back into the house. "You've got yourself a deal, dad!" she chuckled just as they vanished from sight.

"I'm proud of you, Edward." The sound of my mom's voice so close by started me. "You've made a good life for yourself after everything that's happened."

I shrugged. "So have you."

She smiled sadly. "I'm trying but it's not easy."

"With dad?"

She nodded. "I just wish sometimes that he would start _something_; find something he wants to do. He just hangs around the house all day thinking about the mistakes he made…I worry about him."

"You mean like….."

A tear escaped her eye, confirming what I already feared. "He's so depressed, Edward. I don't know what to do. At times I'm afraid to leave the house in the morning!"

"Fuck!" I sighed, pulling mom into a hug. "Does he still talk to that shrink of his?"

Mom nodded. "I think it's the only thing that keeps him on the right side of the edge."

"What does she say?" I knew dad had started seeing a new therapist as soon as he and mom had moved to San Francisco, if not for himself, to come to grips with his past, then for mom, who'd demanded that if he wanted to save their marriage, he'd have to go into counseling.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "he never speaks about it. But Edward?"

"Yeah?" I looked up wearily, already having a hunch about what would come next.

"Won't you talk to him?" she pleaded. "I know things are still difficult between the two of you but maybe if you talk he could get over this….or maybe you can find something to keep him going or….."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, mom," I sighed. "With the way things are between us, I doubt if I can do much good."

"But will you try?" she pressed. "For me?"

I let out another deep breath, linking her arm through mine just as Bella had done with her dad. "I'll do it for you, mom."

She smiled widely, trying to straighten my hair. "You're a good boy, Edward. I've always known it."

We rejoined the rest as they said their goodbyes on the front steps, my mom somehow managing to conjure her face into a look of neutrality as she guided Sue and Charlie back to her car. She'd be dropping them off at their hotel in the city before she went back to the swanky new bayside apartment she and dad had bought.

"Finally!" I groaned, closing the door on our family. "I thought they never leave!"

"It was fun, though," Bella smiled. "And God only knows when we get to do this again, with dad living so far away now."

"It would have been a whole lot more fun if they'd buggered off an hour or so ago," I grumbled running a hand through my hair.

"I believe you said something about christening a couple of rooms?" Bella cooed, her fingers dancing along the buttons of my shirt.

"Damn right I did!" I growled, my hands around her ass pulling her body into mine as I pushed my tongue inside her mouth, a deep, throaty moan leaving her mouth as her fingers wove into my hair.

We were both panting for air by the time we broke apart, a deep primal urge to claim what was mine coursing through my veins. "Now, I'm going to make the rounds to see if everything is locked up and secure," I announced, my voice husky and needy as my hands trailed along her body, "you'd better be ready for me when I get up or else…"

She swallowed hard, her lips moist and swollen from our kiss. "Or else what?"

I leaned in, brushing my nose along her cheekbone as I whispered in her ear. "Believe me, little girl, you don't want to know."

And with that I turned and walked away, disregarding my body's demand to get her naked and push into her against the door.

Later.

I took me all of five minutes to make the rounds, making sure all doors and windows were shut and locked before setting the alarm and making my way upstairs, my breath sticking in my throat as soon as I entered the master bedroom to find Bella sprawled out on top of the sheets, completely naked except for a pair of black, patent leather heels and the necklace I'd bought her for Valentine's day.

Game, set and match, Miss Swan.

She smiled deviously, licking her lips as she motioned me in, the seduction in her voice going straight to my cock as she spoke. "I do believe you said something about christening every room in the house?" she purred, her fingertips trailing over her body as she giggled. "Clock's ticking, mister Cullen."

Fuck.

Me.

I was in front of her in the blink of an eye, pulling on her legs until they dropped down the edge of the mattress, her pussy right in front of my face as I dropped down to my knees. The sight of it, all glistening and wet, made my mouth water.

"My, my, you look quite delectable tonight, Miss Swan," I crooned, trailing my hands up and down her bare skin as I kissed the inside of her thigh.

She squirmed, her apparent need for me making my confidence soar. I looked up her body, her eyes hooded and glimmering with lust as she stared back at me. "Do you mind if I dive in?'

She gasped, a tremor coursing through her veins as she answered. "Not at all."

I didn't give her any more time to prepare, the blissful, savory taste of her making me groan as I licked up her slit. _Fuck, she tasted amazing! I could never get enough of my girl. _

And apparently the feeling was mutual. "Edward," she moaned, her body writhing underneath me as I pushed my tongue inside her hot, wet body, her hands grabbing at my hair like they always did, the pain a pleasant stimulant as I worked my girl up to the brink before pulling back.

"Wha- ?" she whimpered, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide and desperate as she watched me get up. "Why did you stop?"

I chuckled, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose as she pouted. "Sweetheart, I want nothing more than for you to cum, but when you do I want to be fucking you."

Her mouth fell open, her legs rubbing together for friction as I got rid of my clothes at the speed of light, my shirt still flying in the air when I buried myself inside of her.

"Fuck, baby!" I groaned, the tight wetness of her pussy as I pushed in almost making me come at the spot "You feel so fucking good."

"Ah!" she moaned, her back arching off the mattress as I buried myself to the hilt. "Edward!"

"Yes, angel?" I groaned against her lips. "What do you want? What do you need?"

"I….fuck….." her nails scarped against the skin of my back, spurring me on as I pistoned in and out of her. "Harder!"

I growled deep inside my chest as I picked up my speed, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoing off the walls as I took her hard, fast and deep.

Just as she wanted it.

"Fuck, baby!" I snarled, feeling the tightening start to built in my abdomen. "I'm almost there."

She bit her lip as she pulled her knees up, allowing me to go even deeper as she threw her head back against the headboard. "So close…..so….fucking…..close."

I grabbed the solid wood of the headboard with one hand, using the leverage to pound into her harder as my other fumbled around for her clit, her body starting to pulse around me almost as soon as I did.

"Oh my God! Edwarrrrrrrd!" she cried out, her nails almost breaking skin as she dug them into my shoulders, the pain combined with the tightening of her pussy around me coaxing forth my own orgasm.

"Fuck!" I gasped, my head collapsing on her shoulder as I spilled inside of her. "I love you…..so fucking much."

Her hands wove into my hair, the tips of her fingers making my scalp tingle as she traced patterns into my hair. "I love you too, Edward." I looked up to find her eyes shining into mine with an amount of love and honesty I never thought I deserved. "More than life itself."

I rolled away, bringing her with me as we tried to reclaim our breath, my sweat slicked body wrapped around hers as I listened while her breathing slowly evened out. "Rest while you can, honey," I chuckled, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder. "I'm not done with you yet."

It was a long time before either of us got some sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty. Thank you!**_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part three ~

_Eyes staring back at me. Empty eyes. Soulless eyes. They made my blood turn cold as I ran through a seemingly endless corridor, lined on both side with robed figures, masked and standing motionless and I sped towards the sound. _

_They didn't help me as I knew they wouldn't. They belonged to _him_. _

_But I couldn't let my thoughts linger on them, not when every bone in my body told me to run towards the door at the end. Run towards something – I didn't know what – that seemed to be so important my life depended on it. _

_Finally, when I'd almost given up hope, I crashed through the door, the sweet sounds of a lullaby tingling though the room as I noticed a figure standing over an elaborately crafted crib in the middle of the room. _

"_No!" I screamed, panic making me forget everything around me. "Leave her alone!" _

_His laughter filled the air, his cold, dead, eyes zoning into me as he picked up the baby – my baby – from the crib. "You cannot have her, Isabella," Aro's sickly voice chuckled. "She's mine. Mine alone." _

"No!" My cry reverberated through the room as I shot up, my chest heaving with labored breaths as I slowly started to come down from my nightmare.

"Bella?" Edward mumbled sleepily. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing." I sighed, lying back down as his arms enveloped me in comfort, love and warmth. "Just a bad dream."

"Hmm," he hummed, lazily kissing my cheek. "Go back to sleep, baby."

I chuckled, settling back into his arms even though I knew that it would be a long time before I could get back to sleep – if I could. Over the weeks I'd gotten so used to having nightmares about the Volturi that I'd stopped even mentioning them to Zafrina. This one, however, was different.

I sighed, leaning my forehead against Edward as I listened to his long, even breaths. _There had never been a child before. What did it mean? _

I lay awake for about an hour until finally, at six a.m. I'd had enough and slowly started extricating myself limb for limb from Edward's hold, making sure not to wake him up in the process.

The boy needed his sleep after last night.

I chuckled, my body sore and thoroughly worked over as I made my way over to shower, washing away the remnants of last night's 'christening party' before heading downstairs to get started on breakfast.

It turned out I was just in time, a very chipper Charlie and a headshaking Sue arriving promptly at seven, just as I finished my first batch of waffles.

I snorted as dad strutted into the kitchen with his usual police-chief swagger. "You weren't kidding when you said you wanted to make an early start!"

"When have I been known to kid?" he shrugged, sinking his teeth into one of my waffles. "Where's lover boy?"

"He's still asleep, I think," I mumbled, hiding my telltale blush behind my hair as I rather thoroughly beat the eggs before dunking them into the skillet to properly scramble them.

"He's awake, thank you very much," Edward's scratchy voice sounded from the doorway before the man himself walked in, clad in nothing but a pair of boxers.

He strode up to the fridge, confidently and apparently unaware of the three people staring back at him, as he fumbled around for a milk bottle, groaning as he took a few long pulls straight from the bottle before finally looking around him. "What?" he shrugged as he took in our looks of shock. "This is my house. I can walk around however the bloody hell I want!"

I snorted, taking in the looks on Charlie and Sue's faces.

I guess this just went to show that you could take the boy out of the asshole but you could never take the asshole out of the boy.

Or something like that.

"Does he always do that?' Dad grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Edward's retreating form.

I shrugged. "He's not really a morning person."

"Don't go there, Charlie," Sue warned before my dad could say something else. "If we're going to talk about nasty behavior, I've got a thing or two to share about you as well."

Dad looked suitably scolded, a small grunt leaving his throat as he took a sip of his coffee. That or he was just afraid of what Sue might have to say about him.

And, to be honest, so was I.

Fortunately from that point on breakfast passed without further incident, dad and Edward getting on remarkably well as Sue and I exchanged idea for some artwork of hers to go in our backyard.

By the end, when everyone had had their fill, Sue expressed an urgent need to see the backyard one last time to 'let it imprint on her mind', a request Edward was all too happy to fulfill.

"Way subtle." I rolled my eyes as I watched them walk out onto the deck.

Dad chuckled. "You should have known. Subtlety has never been Sue's strong suit."

"Yeah." I sighed, the atmosphere in the room suddenly getting very stifled.

Dad seemed to feel it to, his long, lanky frame tethering in the background as I packed the dirty plates into the dishwasher, his hands plucking nervously at his moustache.

"So I guess this is it, huh?"

I yelped, my head meeting with the roof of the dishwater as I jolted up in surprise. "Yeah," In nodded, rubbing the back of my head. "I guess so."

"I left a care package in the hallway," dad announced. "Just the usual stuff…if you need refills, please let me know."

I snickered, knowing that in the world of Charlie Swan, a care package consisted of a can of pepper spray, a pocket sized stun gun and a list of all emergency phone-numbers in the area. "Thanks dad, but I think Edward will be taking excellent care of me."

He huffed, looking out the window at Edward showing my stepmom around the yard. "You think that, huh?"

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Don't go there, dad. I thought you and he had worked things out?"

"Just because I don't think he's such a lousy prick anymore doesn't mean that I trust him with the most precious thing in the world."

I snorted, rolling my eyes at him. "So you're not giving him your remote control. I think he'll be able to live with that."

"Don't get smart with me, young lady," he grumbled. "If you're gonna be livin' out here, so far away from your folks and the people you know, it's my duty to make sure the people you're with have your best interest at heart and will be as committed to you as your family is."

The slight hint of nervousness as well as the words he so obviously chose with great care finally made me put two and two together. "Last night when you and Edward were out on the back porch," I started, dad swallowing hard as I rounded on him. "You didn't happen to try and pressure him into proposing, did you dad?"

"I…erm….I might have….." he fumbled.

"Oh my God!" I groaned. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Mind your language, young lady," he warned me. "And just so you know, I didn't so much pressure him as ask him what his intentions were."

"You pressured him." I shook my head, having a pretty good idea of how that conversation might have gone. "Well, just so you know, dad,

His look of disbelief would have been comical if I wasn't so angry. "You….what?"

I'm not ready to be married or even engaged just yet," I explained. "Now I understand that you would like to see a ring on my finger to assure you of his commitment to me but I'm already quite sure of that without a big-ass shiny diamond on my finger. If I wasn't do you really think I would have moved out here with him? Do you really think I'm _that_ naïve?"

Dad looked as if I'd just kicked his puppy. Repeatedly. "Erm…..no?"

"I thought so!" I huffed, though most of my anger had long since left the premises. "So please get back to catching real bad guys and leave my Edward alone. I'm starting to think he knows me better than you do, _dad_."

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm trying here! It's not easy, knowing your little girl is all grown up and moving away from you," he spoke; his voice low and laced with sadness.

"You could always come visit us," I insisted, suddenly the thought of being so far away from my dad – my daddy – making me feel awfully homesick. "I mean…..it's not long until you retire and could come here to fish. I'm sure you could do some very good fishing out here in the bay….."

Dad chuckled, listening bemused as I rambled on. "I know Edward isn't much of a fisher but I'm sure that if you teach him he could learn and….."

"Nah." Dad shook his head. "That boy is much too antsy to ever make a good fisherman. Besides….I'm leaving you behind in some very capable hands. You'll be alright without your old man hovering all over you like a nuisance."

I jumped into his arms, burying my head in soft, worn plaid and old spice as I sobbed, suddenly transported back to the times when I was a little girl. "I'm going to miss you, daddy!"

"I know, sugar," he replied, awkwardly patting me on the back. "I'm going to miss you too."

"Charlie?" I looked up to find Edward and Sue standing in the doorway, both of them wearing matching smiles. "Shouldn't we be getting underway?"

Dad nodded, looking at the clock. "Yeah, I think we'd better get going."

As we stood there, waving goodbye, I felt less sadness than I had expected. I knew I was going to miss my dad like crazy but this was a new chapter in my life and I knew that, had things gone differently – had I never met Edward and lived my life oblivious to there being such a thing like the Volturi – I would probably still have had to move from Seattle.

I mean, look at what happened to all of my friends. Rose and Emmett had already moved to New York after Rose had accepted a job – a dream job – with a major newspaper and in a couple of weeks Angela was going to follow Ben as he'd start his PhD at Duke.

No, this was a new page turned in our lives; a fresh start. Feeling sorry about everything I left behind just wasn't going to cut it.

* * *

**See you next week!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty. Thank you!**_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part four ~

_As we stood there, waving goodbye, I felt less sadness than I had expected. I knew I was going to miss my dad like crazy but this was a new chapter in my life and I knew that, had things gone differently – had I never met Edward and lived my life oblivious to there being such a thing like the Volturi – I would probably still have had to move from Seattle. _

_I mean, look at what happened to all of my friends. Rose and Emmett had already moved to New York after Rose had accepted a job – a dream job – with a major newspaper and in a couple of weeks Angela was going to follow Ben as he'd start his PhD at Duke. _

_No, this was a new page turned in our lives; a fresh start. Feeling sorry about everything I left behind just wasn't going to cut it. _

Still, that fresh start came with a whole lot of challenges. Over the next couple of weeks I felt myself getting completely lost in juggling the new house, my new job as a junior reporter/errant girl/ little slave at the San Fransisco Gazette, living with Edward, spending time with Esme to keep her from going mad and making sure Carlisle wasn't sneaking off into a quiet corner to kill himself.

I was so busy that I didn't even stop to consider the effects it was having on me until one night I almost kicked Edward out of the bed for being too rough with me. I'd been tired, cranky as hell and my body was sore. Sure, we might not have had sex in a while but there was no need for him to paw me like I was made of rubber instead of flesh and blood.

His time to bitch came later that night when I woke up screaming from yet another nightmare, the latest in a long line of very vivid and horrible nightmares involving me, the Volturi and that damned baby I was trying so hard to protect.

It wasn't until I spoke with Alice that things suddenly became clear.

"God, you've gotten huge!" I cried as soon as my friend switched on her webcam. "How are you feeling?"

Alice chuckled. "Just like any woman in her third trimester feels: big, hungry and very eager to meet this kid!" She rubbed her swollen belly, her face breaking out into a grin. "But I love it, though. Every minute of it."

"Even the morning sickness?" I chuckled, grimacing as the thought of puking brought on another round of nausea.

"Yes, even the morning sickness," she replied confidently. "If it means that at the end of the line I get to hold a perfect little human being me and Jasper created, I'm willing to put up with some puking to get to that point."

I laughed, shaking my head. If Alice was to be believed, pregnancy was like a walk in the park on a sunny day in spring with only a few mishaps along the way. I guess in her vision, morning sickness was something like stepping in shit or seeing a cloud on the horizon or something.

"But enough about me," she went on. "I mean, I know everyone wants to know how I'm doing and all that but I get a bit tired of talking about nothing else all day. How are you doing, sweetheart? Have the nightmares gotten any better?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Not really. I spoke to Zafrina the other day and she thinks it may be a reaction to us moving and all the new stuff in our lives."

Alice nodded. "That may be it. And the rest? You look like….."

"Shit?" I offered. "Yeah, I've been feeling like shit too. Remember what I told you the last time we spoke? It's still like that. I think it's just the stress of the move and the nightmares that make me feel so icky in my own skin." I shrugged. "And if that wasn't enough, Edward has kindly transferred his stomach flu bugs onto me. I've been puking since Sunday."

"Poor baby!" Alice cooed.

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Screw you, Whitlock," I grumbled, biting my nails.

"So let me get this straight," she spoke, suddenly all business. "You've been suffering from fatigue, nausea and sensitive boobs."

"Sensitive everything," I corrected her, "but yeah, that's about it.

"Dude!" she cried. "You're pregnant!"

I gasped. "No way! No fucking way, Alice. I've been taking my pill and…"

"You know as well as I do that no form of birth control is one hundred percent safe," Bella. "Besides….what other cause could explain all these symptoms?"

"Stomach flu and stress?" I squeaked, though in my mind I knew she was right, I just knew…"Holy fuck, Alice. I'm pregnant?"

"You sure are, honey," she beamed.

"Fuuuuuuuuuck." I was just now starting to realize what that meant for me, for Edward, for us….

We ended the call not long after that. Between Alice being too exuberantly enthusiastic and me being too shell-shocked to respond to anything. I did promise her to call her back as soon as I had made sure I was really pregnant.

Which I was.

Ten positive pregnancy tests and one emergency visit to my new gynecologist –what a way to get to know your new medical team- and I could no longer deny that I was.

"Fuck me!" I breathed at the empty living room, my hands folded around a mug of tea. "I'm going to have a baby!"

For a moment, all I felt was extreme happiness. I was going to have a baby! With Edward! Edward and I were going to have a baby!

Oh fuck.

Edward.

He was so going to freak out when I told him. What if he didn't want a kid? I mean, the guy had only just come down from his asshole I-don't-commit-to-any-girl-beyond-a-one-night-stand phase. What the hell was he going to think if I threw a baby at him?

Not literally, of course. Instinctively my arm wrapped around my stomach to protect my little turnip. No, no harm was ever going to come to it.

It turned out all my worries about how Edward was going to take the news were unnecessary, though. As was the food I'd spent hours preparing. Or so it turned out.

"Edward?" he looked up from his crackberry and whatever important law stuff he was discussing with his fellow legal cronies. "Would you mind putting that thing away for a moment? I have something I need to discuss with you."

He immediately put his phone away, worried eyes boring into mine as he studied me, no doubt alerted by the shakiness in my voice. "Is something wrong?"

No!" I immediately answered. "At least, I don't think so….I think….I think I have happy news. Very happy news."

He looked at me as if I'd gone completely mental, helping himself to a steak and some potatoes as he answered me. "What? Did you get some kind of promotion or something?"

"Er, no,' I fumbled. "It's something else."

"Fuck, Bella." It was clear that Edward was growing tired of my stalling. "Will you please just let me know what the hell it is? I have more things to do today than listen to you play mind games."

"Fine!" I huffed, slamming my napkin down on the table. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

_**See you next week!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty. I did makes some changes to this chapter after she was done, though, so any mistakes you might encounter are totally my fault. **_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part five ~

"_I'm pregnant."_

If I hadn't been so pissed off at him right them I would have cracked up at the sight of Edward, his mouth opening and shutting like a fish on dry land as he looked at me, wild-eyed and shocked to the core. "Y-you're…" He motioned his head in the vague direction of my stomach.

"Pregnant," I helped him out. "Yes."

"How?"

I snorted, rolling my eyes at his dumbfounded expression. "Well, when two people love each other very much, the man puts his penis….."

"Yes, I know that," he interrupted me, "but when did all of this happen? I thought…."

I swallowed, trying to gauge his expression as an uneasy feeling started to take post in the pit of my stomach. _He would want this baby, would he? He wouldn't…._

I clutched my stomach protectively. Since I'd found out I was pregnant (well, _almost_) there had been nothing I wanted more in this world than the baby that was rowing inside of me. The thought alone that maybe Edward…..

"Bella?"

I looked up, Edward's face still carrying the smooth, unreadable expression of E.A. Cullen, Attorney at law. "I….erm…..I think it happened that night…..you know….when we broke in the house?"

"Ah." I breathed a sigh of relief when his cocky smile broke through. "Yeah, that was a good night."

"It w-was," I stammered, "but I think that with the move and everything else going on I might have forgotten to take my pill and…well…..that's probably how this happened."

"Oh." He looked down, fumbling with his knife and fork.

Definitely not the reaction I'd hoped or expected. "Oh?"

When he looked back up, his grin was so radiant it made the breath stick in my throat and my heart speed up to dangerous limits. "You're pregnant."

I swallowed with difficulty. "Yes."

"We're going to have a baby."

"Yes."

"Fuck!" He slumped in his seat, though I had the feeling this was a happy 'fuck'. A very happy 'fuck' indeed.

"I'm going to be a father."

"Yep," I nodded. "That's usually what happens after you knock your girlfriend up."

His eyes were still huge with shock but brimming with love and happiness as he looked at me. "This is….."

"Good?" I offered.

"Awesome!" he cried, his face radiating happiness in a way I'd never seen it before. "Unexpected but awesome."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "You're right about the unexpected part. And the awesomeness by the way."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, the smell of long forgotten food wafting around us as we reeled from the news.

In the end it was Edward who broke the silence. "Your dad is going to kill me," he muttered, growing a little pale.

"Yep," I nodded. "I think he might."

"What are we going to say to him?" Edward asked, in a tiny voice. "How are we going to break the news?"

"We're not?" I offered. "We're not supposed to head up there before Christmas right?"

I waited until he nodded and shrugged. "I figure that by that time no explanation will be needed." I patted my stomach, which was still flat but wouldn't be for much longer. "Besides, by that time I will probably be big enough for you to hide behind should worse come to worst."

He didn't seem to think that was funny at all. "Seriously, Bella. What are we going to do?"

I sighed. "I don't know, Edward. I think you may have to invite Charlie over for that fishing trip and hope for the best."

"Yeah," he nodded, letting his fork drop back onto the table. "I think that may be a good idea." I could see that in his head he was already contemplating all the ways my dad could kill him with a fishing rod.

"So you're really happy about this?" I wanted to know. I knew he was, if his first reaction to the news was anything to go by, but I wanted to make sure.

I had to be sure.

"Baby," he sighed, pushing away from his chair and wrapping me in a tight hug. "I am so very, very happy right now." He shook his head, his nose rubbing along the side of my face before his lips pressed a sweet and tender kiss to my cheek. "We're going to have a _baby_, Bella."

"Yeah," I whispered. "We're going to have a baby."

His lips were on mine before I could even draw breath.

For the rest of the night we laughed and planned and made love, tears springing into my eyes as Edward kissed my bare stomach as we lay side by side in bed.

This was going so much better than I had expected.

Or not.

It was somewhere around two in the morning that I woke u to an empty bed and a whole lot of banging going on downstairs.

It appeared that Edward had entered the freak-out stage.

I groaned, dragging my tired body out of bed and schlepping it down the stairs to find Edward on the back deck.

"What the hell are you doing?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I took in the sight of a frantic Edward flittering all over the back porch with a toolbox in his hands.

"This thing…." He looked at the railing as if it had personally offended him. "It's a death trap."

I sighed deeply, trying to wrap my mind around whatever madness had seemed to take over my boyfriend's brain. "Huh?"

"What if she somehow manages to find a way to climb over the railing and fall off?" he answered, looking at me as if I was a complete dumbass for not figuring that out on my own.

_Excuse me?_

"Edward?' I sighed, barely resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "I'm giving birth to a baby, not a spider monkey."

"I don't care!" he cried, his hands pulling at his hair as his eyes shot from one place to another. "We've got to move, Bella. This place isn't safe!"

I was beginning to regret telling him about the baby.

"We're not moving." I crossed my arms in front of my chest, getting more pissed off by the minute. "And you're going to bed."

"But…."

I arched my brow. "_Now_."

Apparently I made an impressive enough show of myself to finally get him to calm down, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he gave up. "Fine. But if our baby girl comes to any harm, I know who's responsible."

I snorted, shaking my head as I patted his back. "We've got nine months to get this place up to scratch. I'm sure we'll manage just fine."

He grumbled something under his breath, probably about me being completely irresponsible or blind to his finer sensitivities as we made our way back upstairs to the bedroom. "By the way," I questioned as we slid into bed again, "what makes you think the baby is going to be a girl anyway?"

He shrugged, his arms wrapping around me; one hand around my shoulders, the other resting on my stomach, as he spooned me. "I just thought it would be nice, having a little girl with your eyes and your hair….."

I sighed, trying to imagine the little girl he'd just described. "That would be nice…"

"Then why were you thinking I'd rather have a boy?" he wanted to know.

I shrugged. "I just thought it would be easier for you, you know? You get to give them manly advice, which is something you're probably better at than I am, and you don't have to deal with the hassle of boys wanting to date her and stuff."

Judging from the way he went rigid against me, Edward hasn't stopped to think about that.

Crap.

Me and my big mouth.

"But I'm sure you'll make sure she won't get to date until she's at least eighteen years old," I offered, mentally cursing myself for betraying every feminist moral my mother had so dutifully instilled within me. "You'll protect her. Just as my dad protects me."

"Yeah," he nodded, his muscles slowly relaxing again. "Yeah."

He nodded his head as he turned onto his back, still mulling the idea over in his head. "I may have to take your dad up on those shooting lessons he offered, though."

I shook my head, suddenly feeling the strain of a day of nervous excitement. "Let's just go to sleep, Edward. You can buy a gun first thing tomorrow."

He kissed my hair, his arm around me as his arms slipped around me once more; one playing with my hair, the other wrapped protectively around my still flat stomach.

Crisis averted,

But not for long.

"Bella?" I groaned, my whole being protesting as it was brought back into consciousness. Edward's warmth had disappeared from behind me; the sound of his breaths coming from the other side of the bed.

"What?"

"I've changed my mind," he spoke, "we're having a boy."

I sighed deeply as I tuned onto my other side, my hand patting around blindly. "That's good to know, baby."

Seriously? If he kept this up, the only thing he was going to get out of this pregnancy was a divorce.

I hadn't even gone back to sleep when there was another nudge in my side. "Sweetheart?"

"For heaven's sake, Edward!" I groaned. "Give it a rest! It's two in the fucking morning and I want to go to sleep. I'm sure this baby will still be there for you to freak out over in the morning!"

"This wasn't about the baby, actually," he muttered, my treacherous body betraying me as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Oh," I hummed, contently. "What is it, then?"

"Do you want to get married?"

I snorted. "You're kidding, right?" but looking up at his face, I couldn't see any traces of the crooked grin I expected. "Please, for the love of all that is holy, tell me you're joking, Edward."

"Why would I be?" he scowled. "I mean….we're going to be parent's Bella. We'll be responsible for this baby's wellbeing. We can't let it be born in sin!"

I groaned, covering my eyes as I rolled onto my back, counting to ten before I did something that would have me end up in jail. _If this was how Edward was going to be with the baby still months away of being born….yeah, I could see this pregnancy was going to be much harder than I thought it would be. _

* * *

_**Poor Bella! Did Edward's reaction live up to your expectations? I think he and Charlie are going to have a lot to talk about. Don't you?**_

_**Thanks for reading! More next week. **_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**The Real Teacher deserves an award for putting up with my whimsicality. This week I decided last minute to add a whole new chapter to this tale and still she managed to get everything ready for me to post on Friday. I love her. Did I mention that? **_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part six ~

He was going to be late.

How could this happen?

How could he _let_ this happen?

How could a man – my man – be late for his first appointment with his unborn child?

"Unbelievable," I muttered, my heart leaping upwards when the door opened but spiraling down again almost immediately as, instead of the disorderly mop of reddish brown hair and that infernal half-smirk that always seemed to get him out of trouble, a stiff looking couple shuffled into the room, sitting down awkwardly at the edge of the bench furthest away from everyone else as they stared off into space without as much as a glance at each other or anyone else. _They looked like a bunch of zombies! How they ever managed to end up pregnant…._

I swallowed, the tears coming as fast and as fierce as they had been doing ever since my baby started screwing with my hormones_. Zombies or not, at least they were together whereas Edward….he couldn't even be bothered to show up for our first ultrasound. That motherfucking son of a….._

"Miss Swan?" I sighed, hanging my head as I pushed myself up from the chair as a nurse I faintly remembered from our first appointment (which Edward _had_ managed to be on time for, though be it by the skin of his teeth).

As I walked through the waiting room I could almost feel the looks of sympathy from the other women as well as the cautiously smug smiles from most of the men as they congratulated themselves from doing at least something good for a change.

Idiots.

All men were idiots.

All they were good for was knocking a woman up and then going about their merry ways, leaving her to deal with all the rest.

"Typical!" I huffed, following after the nurse with a sour face that made the people we bumped into on our way scramble to get out of my way.

"Doctor Molina will be back shortly," the nurse announced, smiling compassionately as she left me in the office of my doctor.

"Thanks," I muttered, my lip trembling with rage and distress as I looked around me, my eyes falling on the back wall that was covered in pictures of happy people carrying happy, healthy babies in their arms and looks of pure bliss on their faces.

Could that be me in a few months?

Me, Edward and the baby?

At this moment it was hard to imagine that was ever going to happen.

I swallowed not wanting to cry in my doctor's office and give her the idea that I wasn't up to motherhood or even pregnancy, my eyes now landing on a series of models depicting the development stages of a baby from fetus to infant.

What if something was wrong?

My hand clutched the slight bump protruding from my stomach as if to protect my unborn child even against the thought alone as my sick, masochistic brain merrily wandered further down the avenue it had set out upon.

What if something went wrong and Edward wasn't there?

My hand started to tremble as I thought of myself, all alone in a new house in a strange city

No.

I wouldn't be alone. I swallowed, trying to rid myself of all the negative feelings. There would always be Esme and Carlisle making sure I was alright.

Carlisle….

Could I really trust him around my baby?

What if…

Mercifully doctor Molina came in before I could go completely postal (which, by the way, was all Edward's fault because if he would have been there like he said he would, I'd have someone to take my mind off things). "Ah, Bella! Let's see how everything is going, shall we?"

For a moment she gazed at me inquisitively, but if she'd noticed that there was one future parent where there should have been two, she didn't ask and for that I was grateful, her questions and remarks giving me some much needed distraction from the doom and gloom in my mind.

It wasn't until the doctor had handed me over into the care of the lab technician that the hurried footsteps I'd been waiting for sounded from outside the room.

"Bella!" Edward's voice called out frantically, his eyes wide with what I hoped to be fear as he barged into the room, panting like he'd just run a marathon.

_Sucker! Like that's going to help you!_

"Nice of you to join us," I sneered, purposefully twisting my body away from him.

"I'm sorry I'm late sweetheart," he sighed, crossing the room in long strides. I had to admit, the guy had balls of solid steel, that or he was stupid enough to get close to a pissed off pregnant woman without thinking his balls might be in danger. "Arraignments ran late and I couldn't get out….I ran all the way here…."

"Right!" I huffed. "So you ran a few blocks. Is that supposed to impress me because I can tell you, it's doing a piss poor job."

"You know I can't just walk out of a courtroom mid-session?" Edward squirmed.

"I know that!" I snapped. "The thing is: you never should have been in that fucking courtroom to begin with, asshole!"

From out of the corner of my eyes I noticed how the ultrasound technician stealthily tried to shuffle towards the door. Changing color when she caught my glare she scrapped her throat. "I figure the two of you might like a few minutes of privacy?" she offered. "I'll just go and set up another room. I'll be back in five minutes."

I nodded, trying to appear normal for a few moments so that she didn't think I was a complete fruitcake (though it may have already been too late for that) before turning back to Edward, my anger washing back over me at the mere sight of him all pretty and lawyery in his tailored suit. "You shouldn't have been on the roster today and you know it."

"Bella," he sighed, "we've already discussed this the other night, remember?"

"Then please repeat this big discussion to your silly girlfriend who only remembers that _you_ did a whole lot of talking without wanting any input from _me_," I snapped back.

"I tried to get the morning off from work but with the Hunter case starting the day after tomorrow, almost everyone is up to their eyeballs in prep work. I couldn't find anyone to fill in for me," he droned, his voice almost mechanical as he rattled off the same old crap story he'd given me a few days ago.

"Then you should have spoken to your boss," I grumbled, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "I somehow doubt he would have been cruel enough to let you miss out on our first ultrasound."

"You know I can't do that, Bella," he muttered, his shoulders slumping as he let out another deep sigh. "I'm still trying to establish myself over there and….."

"You have to be the good little boy who runs faster than necessary and jumps through every burning hoop to impress the boss," I pouted, my hands balling into fists as I felt my anger slowly give into tears. "I just….."

I was in his arms the moment he noticed the trembling of my bottom lip, his strength supporting me as I cried. "Bella," he breathed, the pressure of his lips as they kissed the top of my head only opening the floodgates further.

"Is this what it's going to be like when the baby is born?" I hiccupped, hating myself for my own damn weakness. "Am I going to be on my own, wondering if you're actually going to be home when you say you will?"

"Sweetheart," he muttered, swaying us back and forth. "You know I don't want to do that."

"But you _will_!" I accused.

"Look at me," he growled, cradling my head in his hands to force my eyes on his. "Do you really think I want to?"

I swallowed difficultly, the power of the emotions visible in his eyes taking me slightly aback as I shook my head. "No?"

"I _hate_ myself for being late today," he admitted, the truth of his words visible in his whole body, "but I need this job if I want to be able to take care of you and the baby."

"I know," I sniffed. I knew it was the dark side of getting involved with a lawyer.

He smiled sadly, kissing away the tears that still leaked from my eyes. "I wish I could promise you it won't happen again but you know it would be an empty promise…"

I sighed, leaning my forehead against his chest, the steady beat of his heart soothing the whirlwind of emotions inside of me. "I know."

"But please know, Bella, that I will always do my best to be there for you and the baby when you need me," he insisted. "I don't want to be like my dad and miss out on the best thing that ever happened to me because of work. I love you – both of you – and I want to make this work."

I nodded, somehow managing to conjure a faint smile on my face. "So do I."

The ultrasound technician chose that moment to peek her nose around the door, the relief shining off her face when she found the equipment still in one piece and the crisis that had driven her out of the room momentarily averted.

She made me scoot up on the table, Edward falling into place next to me as she squirted some sort of cold goo over my stomach and moved her wand over the center of my bump, a slow, steady rumble filling the air in time with the first image of our child filling the small screen beside me.

"Wow!" Edward breathed, his eyes glued to the screen as his hands squeezed mine almost to the point of pain and I squeezed back equally as hard, my mind completely overrun with emotion as our baby's heartbeat filled the air.

"Yeah," I managed to croak out, feeling the tears leak out from the corners of my eyes but not really giving a damn since wiping them away would mean taking my eyes and attention away from the miracle playing out in front of me…_inside of me_.

"It's so….beautiful," Edward whispered, his voice sounding not so steady either.

If I'd been in one of my more snarkier moods I would have made a sarcastic remark about how a little blob on a computer screen couldn't possibly be called beautiful but being as it was….I happened to fully agree with him.

I barely even noticed the ultrasound technician until she started speaking, my mind only registering enough to know that the baby was growing and developing just as he or she should, my eyes still glued to the little creature swimming around inside of my belly. "It's so….."

"Incredible, right?" Edward completed, his face holding an expression of pure joy like I'd never seen it before.

I nodded. "And to think…we _created_ that baby….we created _life_."

His smiled widened as he leaned in and kissed my lips, slowly and lovingly, our fingers weaving together as they rested right above the slight slope of my bump. "I love you, Isabella Swan. I know sometimes I do a piss poor job at showing you….but I love you."

I sniffled, the sound of our baby's heartbeat slowly drifting away as the technician removed the wand from my stomach, my heart already missing the sound as I looked up into the eyes of the man I was sharing this experience with me. "I love you too."

Edward took the wad of paper towels from the technician before anyone could say something, meticulously scrubbing my stomach clean of the goo with a tenderness that made me hold my breath, my senses tuned to his touch until he was done.

"All clean again," He smiled, throwing the dirty mess into a waste bin before helping me up, his arm never leaving its hold on my body as we listened to some final remarks the technician made and taking the pictures and film of the ultrasound, knowing all four grandparents would kill us if they didn't get to see this.

A wave of relief crashed over me as I listened to his voice firing all the questions he'd missed the answers to at the poor ultrasound technician as well as Doctor Molina, who'd popped in to say goodbye, while I got dressed again.

He did care.

He did want this baby as much as I did.

He did want to be there for the both of us…..even though I knew there would be times when he couldn't.

He was as committed to making this work and being a good parent to this precious little gift we'd been given as I was.

But still….even though he'd managed to save the day, he was still going to sleep on the couch tonight.

* * *

_**So yeah….a chapter that wasn't a part of the original tale. The reason behind that was that with me basically not knowing anything about pregnancy and childbirth and the submission deadline looming closer, I decided to go for the easy route. I hope this addition makes the story a little more balanced. **_

_**Please review. See you next week!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty. I did makes some changes to this chapter after she was done, though, so any mistakes you might encounter are totally my fault. **_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part seven ~

Apparently asking a woman to marry you in the middle of the night while she was growing your baby inside of her wasn't a good thing. Nor was showing up late for doctor's appointments, even if there was nothing I could do about it.

I'd both of those lessons the hard way.

In fact, they were only the first of the many hard lessons I learned over the next couple of months.

Take for instance peanut butter. It used to be the most normal thing in the world to have a PBJ sandwich in the morning, with my cup of coffee. As Bella's pregnancy advanced, however, the smell of it was enough to turn my sweet girl into a raving, green monster, threatening to puke all over me if I so much as thought of bringing the stuff into the house.

It was why I'd resorted to keeping a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter in the bottom drawer of my desk at work.

It was also why, on a Thursday night somewhere in the middle of the seventh month of Bella's pregnancy, I found myself knocking on my parents' door.

Mom smirked as she opened the door, already dressed for the night. "What did you do this time?"

I scowled. "What, I can't be visiting my mom and dad now, without you thinking I messed shit up?"

She crossed her arms in from of her chest, arching her brows as she stared me down. "Well?"

I sighed, admitting defeat. "I may have told her that work sometimes has to take prime over her."

"Again?" Mom's eyes grew huge and for a moment it looked like she was going to slap me right across the cheek. "Why on earth would you say that to that poor girl who is _carrying your child_ right now? I thought you learned your lesson that first time!"

"I dunno," I shrugged, feeling pretty damn stupid. "It just….slipped out?"

She shook her head, motioning sharply for me to follow her into the apartment as she muttered on. "Sometimes I really don't understand the male species. Is it just that they completely lack any sort of sensitivity or are they just plain stupid?"

"She made me say it, though, when she tried to get me to give up my job!" I argued, suddenly feeling the need to defend myself and all of manhood.

"What?" mom cried unbelievingly. "She'd never do that!"

"Are you calling me a liar now?" I walked over to the drinks cabinet and poured myself a scotch before fixing my mom a glass of vermouth. "I swear, she actually spoke the words!"

"Then you must have done something to provoke her," mom countered.

On any other day I would have been ecstatic with the way she was championing Bella's cause. I mean, I'd heard horror stories of mother's in law who made the lives of their son's partner a living hell.

Right then, though, I kinda wished she'd take my side for once.

No matter how little I may have deserved it.

"I dunno," I shrugged, sagging down onto the sofa as I looked out across the bay. I took a sip from my drink, the burn as it scorched down my throat a welcome distraction from the weariness I felt. "You know how busy I've been, trying to wrap up the Fenton-case, right?"

I waited for her to nod before I went on. "So tonight I come back after another twelve hour workday to find Bella on the couch, crying her eyes out."

"Poor girl," mom muttered.

I sighed. I'd felt the same when I'd looked at my poor angel, huddled underneath a blanket, her eyes red from crying and her hands wrapped around her stomach as if to protect our baby from whatever harm may come for it. It had been heartbreaking. "I asked her what was going and she suddenly turned on me, getting all pissed off and emotional as she wanted to know if I actually planned on being around once the baby was born or if I was just going to move into my office full time."

It had been a recurring theme throughout the past couple of months.

"And that's when you told her work was more important than she was?" mom rounded on me.

"Of course not!" I growled. "Jeez mom? A little credit? I told her I was only working so much now so that I could be around more once the baby is here."

"Hmm." Mom's eyes remained narrowed in distrust as she looked at me. "How did she react to that?"

I chuckled darkly. "She called me a liar and threw a pillow at my head when I tried to console her. It's a good thing her aim leaves something to be desired or she might have broken my nose. Those pillows are pretty damn heavy."

Mom giggled. "She called you a liar?"

"She told me I was never going to ease up on work, not with the way my job went. There were always going to be cases demanding overtime and I was always going to leave her and the baby stranded when they needed me." I rubbed my tired face, recalling the horrible fight that had broken out when I'd wanted nothing more than to comfort Bella. "When I promised her that I was going to find a way to make things work she went completely batshit on me and demanded that I found a job that had me home more often."

"Ah," mom smirked. "And I guess that's when you told her."

I nodded, moving my hands through my hair and pulling at the roots. "I was only trying to explain to her that, yes, sometimes cases are so important that I had to put in some overtime but that I was working out a deal with the partners to keep my caseload relatively light. Just as we agreed the last time we had this conversation."

I sighed hanging my head. "I guess she took it the wrong way."

"And she threw you out." I nodded, though my mother's statement wasn't articulated to be a question.

"I don't know how I'm going to make this right again, mom," I groaned. "We keep having this conversation over and over again and each time I think she finally gets what I'm trying to say but then the next time I have to work a little late she starts all over again. She just doesn't want to see reason!"

"Edward." Mom sighed, squeezing her frame next to mine on the sofa. "You have to understand that right now, Bella's whole world is being turned upside down. Not only is her body changing to accommodate your child, making her hormones run rampant, she also knows it's just the beginning."

She smiled, brushing a few arrant locks of hair out of my face. "The moment she gives birth she's going to be a mother; a mother who is supposed to know how to raise the perfect, unspoiled little human being she's brought into this world and decided what's right for him or her while also trying to juggle being a journalist, a girlfriend as well as _herself_. She's probably scared stiff right now and looking for an assurance only you can give her."

"But I'm trying mom?" I groaned. "I'm really trying!"

"Then try harder," mom insisted. "Make her see that she's safe with her and that you're in this; as committed to the baby and to her as a person can be."

I sighed. "And how am I supposed to do that without quitting my job?"

Mom chuckled. "I'm sure you'll figure something out. You're smart enough to put two and two together."

"You mean marriage?" I frowned. "I don't think she wants that."

"Why not?" mom asked.

I shrugged. "I asked her when we found out she was pregnant and she said that she didn't want to get married for at least another year or so."

"Women change their minds, Edward," mom laughed, ruffling my hair. "If her behavior is anything to go by, I'd be very surprised if she says no when you ask her."

"Okay," I nodded. "I'll think about it."

"You do that." Mom rose from her chair and left the room, leaving me baffled as to her reasons why until she returned carrying a small, velvet box. "When you do," she spoke softly, molding my fingers around the box, "I would be honored if you presented Bella with this ring. It was the same one my father gave to my mother when he proposed to her and I believe it has been in the family for well over a century."

I opened the box, an awed smile breaking onto my face as I took in the plain silver band with the larger, perfect square cut diamond. It was simple, understated, beautiful and – what was even better – it was so….Bella.

"You don't have to use it," mom backpedaled, obviously mistaking my quiet attitude for reluctance. "If you had something else in mind, I'll understand."

"No!" I quickly put her mind at ease. "It's beautiful. I think Bella will love it."

She didn't say anything but the way she squeezed me when we hugged let me know how happy she was to be able to pass this on to me.

It felt good, knowing I could make my mom happy. God knew that with my dad still wandering through the house like a ghost, she had very little to be happy about.

I knew she was worried sick about him and, to be honest, so was I. After a string of failed attempts to get through to him, I was getting increasingly anxious about him; his whole demeanor communicating that he'd given up on life.

Lately there was only one person who had been able to get through to him: Bella.

It was unlikely how the cause and the victim had gotten so close but somehow, in the midst of all the crazy stuff going on in our lives, Bella had found the time to schedule regular chats with my dad. She never told me what they would talk about and, according to mom, neither would dad, but we were already starting to see a change in him.

Granted, the change was small, but it was progress none the less.

I knew mom was holding high hoped that once the baby was born, he or she (we'd opted not to know the sex of our baby, choosing instead to be surprised) the final shift that would bring about my dad's return to sanity but, as much as I wanted to hope it would happen, it felt wrong to put such pressure on our unborn child.

No, our kid would be free of all of that; I would make sure of it. He or she would grow up in a warm, relaxed environment knowing it was loved and cherished by people who loved and cherished themselves and each other.

I mulled over my mom's words as I drove back home, trying to piece everything together and come up with a solution that would make all three of us – Baby, Bella and I – happy.

In the end, the only conclusion that was left to me was that my mother had been right,

Marrying Bella….as much as we'd both agreed not to, felt right.

It felt good.

The only thing I remained completely stumped about, and would be for the next couple of weeks, was the how.

How would I propose to Bella in a way that would get her to say yes and not break out into a hysteric fit of giggles or get angry for my assaholic, unromantic ways.

Waking her up in the middle of the night was out of the question, that much I'd learned a couple of months ago.

So was anything that involved rose petals, serenades or other sappy romantic crap was out of the questions as well, since Bella had never been the one to enjoy the whole flowery vanilla bullshit.

Besides, it wasn't us.

* * *

_**So, it looks like Edward is going to propose…**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty.**_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part eight ~

In the end, the answer was so simple I felt like banging my head against my desk for not thinking about it before and so, after making the necessary reservations, I set out that same night on the quest to gain myself a fiancée

I smiled, my nerves starting to take control of me as I picked Bella up from work – just as I'd done countless of times over the last couple of months, though this time we wouldn't be going straight home like we usually did.

This time we would be making a detour. A small but very important detour.

"Where are we going?" she asked as I turned the car in the direction of the beach.

I smiled, bring her hand to my lips and placing a gentle kiss on top of it. "I'm taking you out tonight."

"To the Spinnaker?" she gasped, her eyes wide with excitement.

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yep."

"You're the best, Edward!" she cried, bouncing in her seat at the prospect of yet another helping of their amazing and very spicy paella.

I was onto a winner here.

Not surprising since my darling (hopefully) soon-to-be-fiancé had been craving spicy foods over the last couple of weeks and this restaurant happened to be her favorite spot to get it.

The restaurant, located on piers above the bay, had become some of a favorite of ours since it was very close to home and offered magnificent views over the San Francisco skyline while we ate.

"This is just what I needed," Bella sighed, sitting down next to me, both of us facing the bay as she wove her fingers through mine. "Thanks, Edward."

"You know I'll do anything for you, right?" I smiled, playing with a loose strand of her long, silky hair.

She blushed, obviously – like me – recalling our fight. "I do."

I hoped she'd remember that later on tonight, when I'd ask her another, even more important question..

Dinner was amazing, as it always was when we ate there, the food and the view of the sun slowly setting over San Francisco making us both mellow and happy and quiet.

"I'm almost falling asleep here!" Bella giggled, as I offered her another bite of my dessert. She'd polished hers off in the blink of an eye.

"How about we take a walk after dinner?" I offered, feeling rather smooth for working my plans for the after-dinner-event so effortlessly into the conversation. "The fresh air will wake you up."

Bella nodded. "I think that would be nice."

I quickly paid for dinner, waiting around while Bella took another bathroom break before we set off walking along Spinnaker Drive, taking a right to bring us up to Gabrielson Park and the Sausalito Yacht Club.

The atmosphere was perfect, just a hint of pink on the horizon painting the bay, the city and the fishing boats moored just off the coast in a very pretty light. Add that to the fact that we were currently alone.

"Edward?" I looked down to see Bella frowning at me. "Is something wrong?"

"No….nothing's wrong," I assured her. "I just…" _Felt like a loser for being all tongue tied? Saw all of my carefully construed plans go up in smoke? Wanted to fucking kill myself?_

"What?" Obviously I was doing a piss poor job at reassuring my girl as well because her frown deepening as she bit her lip, her free hand rubbing nervous circles into her belly.

"Oh, fuck it!" I grumbled, getting down on my knee. I was proposing right there and then if I'd have to act it all out in mime.

"Edward!" Bella gasped, her hand pressed to her chest. "What…"

"Marry me, Bella," I finally managed to choke out. "I promise to love you today….tomorrow….._forever_."

"Yes." Her whisperer was so low that, had I not seen her lips move, I'd never have spotted it. "Yes. Yes. Yes."

I laughed freely, a ton of anxiety dropping from my shoulders as I slid the ring onto her fingers and pulled her into a hug, our baby enclosed between the two of us as I kissed her lips, pouring every single bit of what I was feeling right into our kiss.

My dad will be so happy," she chuckled, rubbing a little smudge of lip-gloss from my lips as we finally broke for air.

"Screw your dad!" I huffed. And I meant it. "Are you?"

"Ecstatic!" she giggled, pulling me into another hug. "I never thought I wanted to get married just now…..so soon after everything…..but now? I really want to be your wife even if…" She blushed biting her lip.

I pulled her chin up, forcing her to keep her eyes on me before she could look away. "What is it angel?"

"Is it really bad that I don't want to get married just yet?" she muttered, waving her hands over her stomach. "You know? Like this?"

"This wedding is going to be about what you want – what we want," I wrapping my arm around her shoulder as we slowly walked back to the car. "We're not going to let what everyone else thinks bother us so if you want to wait until after the baby is born, we'll wait until after the baby is born."

She smiled, leaning her head against my shoulder. "I love you, Edward."

I kissed the top of her head, feeling as if I could take on the world right then. "I love you too, angel."

* * *

_**Awww! Now all they need is a baby to make their happiness perfect, no?**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

_**As always, my beta The Real Teacher worked her magic on this chapter and made it look pretty.**_

* * *

**Grace **

~ Part nine ~

It was a rainy Thursday, the day our baby girl had come into this world; the world bleak, cold and dreary and the people rushing to and from work and home with grim looks on their faces as they tried to shield themselves against the weather.

But to me, it was the best day of my life.

The moment they carefully laid our little baby girl on Bella's chest, all other things faded into the background. Somewhere around us, nurses flittered about and doctors did their thing but right then, my whole world had been reduced to just the three of us: me, Bella and the perfect little life we'd created.

I never thought I could love someone so much as I loved her from the very first moment she came into our lives.

It was a rush, stronger and more intense than any kind of rush I'd experienced in my life; a fierce need to protect and defend, to provide and shelter, to love and cherish…

It was better than anything in the world.

The moment I first held her in my arms, fast asleep and newly cleaned, it was like a meteor shot through the constellation that made up my brain; illuminating parts that had been shrouded in darkness and making me see things in a completely different light.

I was a father now; a parent, and with it came a responsibility to love, protect and provide this pure, little innocent miracle that had been given from the first, shaky breath she took until I would take my last.

I got it now.

The love that ran so deep and strong that you were willing to risk your life – to risk _everything_ just to keep her safe.

"Edward?"

"Dad." I looked up, tearing my eyes away from her for only the slightest hint of a moment to acknowledge him before fixing them back on my baby girl as she lay sleeping, a small pink bundle amidst a room full of small pink and blue bundles. Not that any of them could hold a candle to her.

"May I…." he looked and spoke so hesitant, so sure that I was going to turn him away from seeing his first grandchild, that I felt a tingle of sadness rippling the surface of the sea of happiness I was floating on.

I smiled, hoping to reassure him. "It's okay dad."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes as he inched closer. "Which one is she?"

"In the middle." I pointed out her little crib to him.

"I should have known," dad chuckled, leaning closer to the windows. "She has your hair."

I looked back, smirking as only now I noticed how the few locks of auburn hair that had escaped from underneath the little hat they'd put on her, were sticking up in every direction. Just like mine.

"Of all the things she could have inherited from me," I mumbled, hoping that in time she wouldn't be too pissed off at me for cursing her with hair that never wanted to cooperate, no matter how hard you tried to beat it into submission.

"She's beautiful," he breathed his eyes holding that same bewitchment as mine probably did.

"Yeah." I sighed, chuckling as my baby girl scrunched up her nose as if she smelled something nasty. _Seriously, if one of those little fuckers lying next to her had farted in her direction I was going to kill a bitch!_

We remained side by side, watching over her for what could have been minutes but might have been hours in a silence that was lighter and more comfortable than it had been for years.

We'd come to a silent understanding- finally, after more than a decade and two near deaths.

That, or we'd both concluded that there were more important things in life than guilt.

"By the way?" I looked up to see dad looking back at me inquisitively. "What are you going to name her?"

I smiled at him, noticing for the first time that night how he – too – seemed lighter. "Grace. We're going to name her Grace."

Dad smiled, his hand on my shoulder as we both looked at the little miracle that had entered the world. "That's a very fitting name."

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_**And that's it. Originally I'd intended another new chapter in between parts 8 & 9 but, as happens so often, time got in the way and prevented me from writing it. However, I do intend to come back and add it sometime in the future. **_

_**Thank you so much for reading this short little story and sharing your thoughts. It has been a blast. **_

_**Miss Baby**_


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